For the third year in a row, Flock of Cycles will make use of the city’s Bud Harris Cycling Track to host the free “Try-A-Bike Jamboree.” Bicycle enthusiasts from around the region will bring a variety of bikes and trikes from their personal collections and allow short test rides around the half-mile paved oval loop normally used for racing. For less experienced riders, the flat interior surface of the track — a former driver’s ed course — provides a traffic-free area to get a feel for something they have never tried before.

This year we are anticipating E-BIKES, CARGO BIKES, RECUMBENTS and more.

The DEMO RACK from PAT TRANSIT will be back. Visitors can learn to load and unload a demo bike to the rack seen on city buses. Bring your own bike if you want to give your panniers, fenders and odd-sized frames a trial run.

Try-A-Bike is not a sponsored event, it comes together entirely with the good will and enthusiasm of volunteers from the cycling community. Although the bikes will be adult-sized, supervised teens may also enjoy this event. Volunteers will be on hand to point out which bikes are available for test rides and to adjust seat heights.

Bike-based tailgating and picnicking under the shade trees is encouraged. Bathrooms and vending machines are available at the neighboring Zone 5 Police Station. No dogs please. Helmets and waivers required. A map and directions to the track are here: http://goo.gl/maps/Em8fg

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!
If you can help with the event and/or want to share your own bicycle(s) for supervised test rides, we will have a sign-up form posted here in the next day or two. We could also use a shade tent or two. Setup begins at 9am. Event begins at 10am.

My mother-in-law will be in town for pedal Pittsburgh that weekend. I hope that there will be some small hybrid/roady type bikes for her to try (she is 5 feet tall). Right now she has a comfort something or other.

We need your help to make the Try-A-Bike event a success.
Everyone is welcome to drop by and hang out all day, but for the sanity and safety of the organizers and everyone else, please indicate if you can cover a specific 2-hour shift to help things run smoothly.

If you can bring bikes or gear (in safe working condition) for people to try, please also enter it on the web form so we can work on ensuring VaRiEtY! Participants are instructed to ask each bike owner’s permission before taking a bike for a spin around the oval.

We need help with set-up, clean-up, hospitality, waivers, seat adjustments & very basic safety-minded mechanical stuff, photography, and a few other things….

Submitted.
Stefb, I can bring an old Fuji road mixte with flat bars that rides really nicely, would be a nice transition and much sportier than a comfort.
Also, not on the form, but would be happy to work with any adult learners/first time riders.
Pseuda, if you are finding any gaps in the type of ride offerings, let me (and others) know, I might be able to fill in.

Thanks to everyone who has offered to bring bikes so far.
It would be great to have single speed or fixed gear bikes in a few different frame sizes. Also, mountain bikes and a bigger range of folders could be fun.

So Far…..
Dirt Rag/Bicycle Mag is bringing some CARGO BIKES (& possibly e-bikes)!
Adam Solar Rides is bringing E-BIKES!
PAT transit is bringing the DEMO BUS BIKE RACK!
People from the message board are bringing 80s-era mixte bikes in a few sizes, a small commuter setup with pannier & brooks saddle, a vintage folding bike, a unicycle, a titanium road bike, recumbents.

Awaiting confirmation on a few other things.

THANKS to the 2 people who are bringing shade tents!

If anyone can offer transportation help (pick up and/or drop off) between Brighton Heights and The Oval, please pm me.

Bring a picnic blanket and pack a lunch: it is a nice place to hang out between rides.

If there is interest, I could bring either my inexpensive single speed or my utility hybrid on which I am trying to add enough hardware that the weight of the various odds and ends is greater than that of the bicycle itself. (I should start a build log)

Thank you @cburch!
@rice rocket, that would be super helpful, especially if you can do the morning run. I’ll be in touch soon with the info.@andyc, either would be great, especially if your frames are medium to large. If they are small frame, the singlespeed would fill a nice gap.

In the past, people seem to enjoy checking out some very basic stuff (eg; different saddles and handlebars) as well as the more “exotic” bikes.

Good news: THE BUTLER WOBBLIES WILL BE BACK!
Last year they brought a huge assortment of unicycles and quite a few people learned to ride.

Bad news, truck is still in the shop, and not expected to be done for at least another week.

I have a Honda Fit currently, which can haul a surprise amount of stuff given its diminutive size, but still not a replacement for a truck. I was going to bring my 650b hardtail for people to try, but there’s only so much MTB-ing you can do at the oval anyways…I can leave it at home if we need more carrying capacity.

@ricerocket + @Mikhail if you coud get in touch with @reddan, that would be helpful. he has access to another vehicle for hauling but may need help with driving at the beginning and at the end of the day. I will be there at 9 for setup, event starts at 10.

Hope to see lots of folks tomorrow. There’s even more stuff showing up for you to try: mountain bikes and beginner obstacles, fat tire mtn bike, reverse-steering bike, singlespeed tandem and lots of recumbents!

I will be bringing one unicycle, and I haven’t decided if I am getting there by bus or motorcycle. This is complicated by the fact that the tire that will need to be on it is still, at half past midnight on the-day-of, sitting in the bike shop.

Stu, the Butler Wobbles are bringing a bunch of Unicycles. It would be great to have yours in the mix, too, but don’t stress too hard if you can’t get that tire out of the shop: just show up & enjoy yourself!

9:30 am, haven’t left the house yet, let alone gotten to Scholl’s to get the tire or fixed it. So maybe I will leave the wheel at home. But! I do have three big orange highway cones I can try to bring with me (likely on motorcycle, at this point). As soon as I can figure out how to strap them to the fender, I’ll be on my way.

Reddan was working hard with people lining up to try all the recumbents! There was a great selection of bikes and I saw a lot of smiles on people riding around in the front of the cargo bike!

Nice event. Nice job.

Seconded!! @Reddan was a tireless and gracious host with his large collection. I had a blast checking out his wide variety of recumbents, even thought I did need a boost from him to get going on all of the two wheeled varieties. And I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit every time I saw somebody else being chauffeured around in the front basket of that aforementioned orange cargo bike. Pleasure talking with @StuInMcCandless as well. Thanks for demonstrating the PAT bicycle rack for me. So simple, but I now have much more confidence to use the bus rack should the need arise. Finally, thanks to Isaac and Danielle (I think? Sorry if I’m getting the name wrong), I can now tell my friends that I’ve been on a unicycle. We’ll leave out the part where I never left the safety zone of holding onto the bleachers ;-).